Happy Friday

Didn’t have time to post this morning because I was at the gym again. (Go me! Go me!) I was feeling really good about what I was doing on the treadmill – had a couple beads of sweat running down my face, not huffing too much – when I looked over at the elderly (70ish) lady on the treadmill beside me. She was not going as fast as I was, but she had been motoring along for a very, very long time. And then I had to stop because I was out of breath. So I stretched a little and decided to work out on the rowing machine (which I love). After ten minutes, I was sweating again, huffing and puffing, and the little old lady sat down on the rowing machine next to me. She had this look in her eye. She was going to dust me. This was more than my fragile middle-aged ego could take, so I moved over to the weight machines.

I have two new goals: to become at least as fit as that lady, and to continue to work out when I am that old.

Spent a couple of hours cleaning house with BH, worrying about the displaced hurricane folks, and then helping my mom and dad. Oh, and I tried to convince the Creature With Fangs that at 65 pounds, she is getting a little too big to be jumping on people. She was not convinced.

I am feeling guilty that I did not write today. I also feel guilty that this post has nothing about books or writing in it. So, here – go read up on Banned Books Week.

45 Replies to “Happy Friday”

  1. 70 year olds and fifty pound weights…

    That 70 year old sounds impressive. We have a rowing machine but I never really use it. Maybe I should, that way when I run a mile in gym my legs won’t feel like there burning.

  2. 70 year olds and fifty pound weights…

    That 70 year old sounds impressive. We have a rowing machine but I never really use it. Maybe I should, that way when I run a mile in gym my legs won’t feel like there burning.

  3. 70 year olds and fifty pound weights…

    That 70 year old sounds impressive. We have a rowing machine but I never really use it. Maybe I should, that way when I run a mile in gym my legs won’t feel like there burning.

  4. ban the bad movies

    It has always bothered me that people think that they have the right to ban books. What about all the bad movies coming out of Hollywood these days? I’m not trying to ban them from society, I just choose not to watch them. And that’s what these people should be doing. Don’t read the book if you don’t want to. (I personally think you should give it a chance, but it’s your right not to.) You don’t have the right, however, to yank books out of the library and try to ruin it for the rest of us. I know I’m preaching to the choir here, but it still felt good.

    p.s. I’m excited to see the film version of speak- it’s waiting patiently at the top of my netflix list.

  5. ban the bad movies

    It has always bothered me that people think that they have the right to ban books. What about all the bad movies coming out of Hollywood these days? I’m not trying to ban them from society, I just choose not to watch them. And that’s what these people should be doing. Don’t read the book if you don’t want to. (I personally think you should give it a chance, but it’s your right not to.) You don’t have the right, however, to yank books out of the library and try to ruin it for the rest of us. I know I’m preaching to the choir here, but it still felt good.

    p.s. I’m excited to see the film version of speak- it’s waiting patiently at the top of my netflix list.

  6. ban the bad movies

    It has always bothered me that people think that they have the right to ban books. What about all the bad movies coming out of Hollywood these days? I’m not trying to ban them from society, I just choose not to watch them. And that’s what these people should be doing. Don’t read the book if you don’t want to. (I personally think you should give it a chance, but it’s your right not to.) You don’t have the right, however, to yank books out of the library and try to ruin it for the rest of us. I know I’m preaching to the choir here, but it still felt good.

    p.s. I’m excited to see the film version of speak- it’s waiting patiently at the top of my netflix list.

  7. I personally don’t care for Junie B’s poor grammar, but that’s no reason to ban her. I’d love to know how Barbara Park’s books ended up in the top ten for 2004. . .

  8. I personally don’t care for Junie B’s poor grammar, but that’s no reason to ban her. I’d love to know how Barbara Park’s books ended up in the top ten for 2004. . .

  9. I personally don’t care for Junie B’s poor grammar, but that’s no reason to ban her. I’d love to know how Barbara Park’s books ended up in the top ten for 2004. . .

  10. I am a 17 year old girl and from my point of view, I don’t understand how they expect us to close our eyes and pretend these ‘issues’, that are being talked about in books and getting bannned, don’t exsist. I know I face a lot of these situations on a constant basis as a high school senior and it’s comforting to pick up a book and read about how someone else (fictional characters or not) dealt with these things. It’s very unrealistic for them to try to censor our intake. It’s my choice to read just as much as it’s my choice to set a book down if I find something in it I don’t like. It’s person and I don’t appreciate someone who is probably taking a paragraph they find offensive out of context where it makes perfect sense and using that against authors to ban books…these schmucks probably don’t even read half the books they ban..I really think they pan through them to find offensive language or something related to sex…big deal..read the book and get a clue people. It quite frankly pisses me off that they can make decisions for thousands of voiceless readers. I’m just fortunate to attend a school that reads these books anyway..we have even had a great deal of them as class assignments…especially Speak ..we worked with that in my Sophomore English class for quite a while and this book really effected me and a lot of my peers..it made us aware of situations we may find ourselves in and what is the best thing to do when placed in these situations. I just want to say thanks for writing about these comtemparay issues and touching us youth.

    Billie Hoskins
    Hamilton, Ohio

  11. I am a 17 year old girl and from my point of view, I don’t understand how they expect us to close our eyes and pretend these ‘issues’, that are being talked about in books and getting bannned, don’t exsist. I know I face a lot of these situations on a constant basis as a high school senior and it’s comforting to pick up a book and read about how someone else (fictional characters or not) dealt with these things. It’s very unrealistic for them to try to censor our intake. It’s my choice to read just as much as it’s my choice to set a book down if I find something in it I don’t like. It’s person and I don’t appreciate someone who is probably taking a paragraph they find offensive out of context where it makes perfect sense and using that against authors to ban books…these schmucks probably don’t even read half the books they ban..I really think they pan through them to find offensive language or something related to sex…big deal..read the book and get a clue people. It quite frankly pisses me off that they can make decisions for thousands of voiceless readers. I’m just fortunate to attend a school that reads these books anyway..we have even had a great deal of them as class assignments…especially Speak ..we worked with that in my Sophomore English class for quite a while and this book really effected me and a lot of my peers..it made us aware of situations we may find ourselves in and what is the best thing to do when placed in these situations. I just want to say thanks for writing about these comtemparay issues and touching us youth.

    Billie Hoskins
    Hamilton, Ohio

  12. I am a 17 year old girl and from my point of view, I don’t understand how they expect us to close our eyes and pretend these ‘issues’, that are being talked about in books and getting bannned, don’t exsist. I know I face a lot of these situations on a constant basis as a high school senior and it’s comforting to pick up a book and read about how someone else (fictional characters or not) dealt with these things. It’s very unrealistic for them to try to censor our intake. It’s my choice to read just as much as it’s my choice to set a book down if I find something in it I don’t like. It’s person and I don’t appreciate someone who is probably taking a paragraph they find offensive out of context where it makes perfect sense and using that against authors to ban books…these schmucks probably don’t even read half the books they ban..I really think they pan through them to find offensive language or something related to sex…big deal..read the book and get a clue people. It quite frankly pisses me off that they can make decisions for thousands of voiceless readers. I’m just fortunate to attend a school that reads these books anyway..we have even had a great deal of them as class assignments…especially Speak ..we worked with that in my Sophomore English class for quite a while and this book really effected me and a lot of my peers..it made us aware of situations we may find ourselves in and what is the best thing to do when placed in these situations. I just want to say thanks for writing about these comtemparay issues and touching us youth.

    Billie Hoskins
    Hamilton, Ohio

  13. Wow, a 70-year-old woman lifting weights. That kind of freaks me out. 😮 I agree – they shouldn’t ban books just because they think they should be banned, that’s prejudiced and biased. If the book was published in the first place, then the public should have the chance to read it, for Pete’s sake.

    Speak (the movie) is being delivered to my house next weekend. I can’t wait. 🙂 I’ve read the book 7 times. Heh, I know that’s a little too much, but whatever. It’s a good book.

    What is the book you’re working on now about?

  14. Wow, a 70-year-old woman lifting weights. That kind of freaks me out. 😮 I agree – they shouldn’t ban books just because they think they should be banned, that’s prejudiced and biased. If the book was published in the first place, then the public should have the chance to read it, for Pete’s sake.

    Speak (the movie) is being delivered to my house next weekend. I can’t wait. 🙂 I’ve read the book 7 times. Heh, I know that’s a little too much, but whatever. It’s a good book.

    What is the book you’re working on now about?

  15. Wow, a 70-year-old woman lifting weights. That kind of freaks me out. 😮 I agree – they shouldn’t ban books just because they think they should be banned, that’s prejudiced and biased. If the book was published in the first place, then the public should have the chance to read it, for Pete’s sake.

    Speak (the movie) is being delivered to my house next weekend. I can’t wait. 🙂 I’ve read the book 7 times. Heh, I know that’s a little too much, but whatever. It’s a good book.

    What is the book you’re working on now about?

  16. Thank you!

    Hi…
    My name is Ashley. I just saw Speak for the second time on the lifetime channel and was playing around on google and luckily stumbled upon your LJ. I have read the book countless times and… wow. I cannot even begin to articulate the ways in which your novel has touched my life. Your book spoke (and still speaks) for everything I cannot say. My short-lived life (I’m 16) has been similar to Melinda’s… except I have not found a peaceful close to my own story. Speak is the closest I can to explain how I feel without explaining myself. But that is nearly impossible- I can’t explain. I can’t muster the courage to talk. I get choked up and my mouth gets so dry and my vocal chords slide up and swell and tighten until they are practically in my mouth. When I can’t speak and need to let out everything that should be coming out of my mouth, I do one of two things. If I am not crawling out of my skin, I read Speak. If I am barely coping, I walk out of school (bad habit I have) and go to this park and swing. I love it. It is empty. The streets are empty. Everyone is in school or at work. It is just me and the swings and peace and quiet. It is like Melinda’s closet. Anyway (I am babbling on- sorry!) when I read Speak, I stopped feeling completely alone. I was shocked to find a girl who I could finally connect with. Speak represents what my body craves to say, and I am so thankful that there is one thing in this world that can communicate my thoughts and feelings. That bare… strangled sort of quality to the air is still here, but I have someone to speak for me and I am so thankful. Thank you so much for writing it. You have profoundly touched my life.
    Love
    Ashley

    PS- Good luck at becoming as fit as the old lady 🙂

  17. Thank you!

    Hi…
    My name is Ashley. I just saw Speak for the second time on the lifetime channel and was playing around on google and luckily stumbled upon your LJ. I have read the book countless times and… wow. I cannot even begin to articulate the ways in which your novel has touched my life. Your book spoke (and still speaks) for everything I cannot say. My short-lived life (I’m 16) has been similar to Melinda’s… except I have not found a peaceful close to my own story. Speak is the closest I can to explain how I feel without explaining myself. But that is nearly impossible- I can’t explain. I can’t muster the courage to talk. I get choked up and my mouth gets so dry and my vocal chords slide up and swell and tighten until they are practically in my mouth. When I can’t speak and need to let out everything that should be coming out of my mouth, I do one of two things. If I am not crawling out of my skin, I read Speak. If I am barely coping, I walk out of school (bad habit I have) and go to this park and swing. I love it. It is empty. The streets are empty. Everyone is in school or at work. It is just me and the swings and peace and quiet. It is like Melinda’s closet. Anyway (I am babbling on- sorry!) when I read Speak, I stopped feeling completely alone. I was shocked to find a girl who I could finally connect with. Speak represents what my body craves to say, and I am so thankful that there is one thing in this world that can communicate my thoughts and feelings. That bare… strangled sort of quality to the air is still here, but I have someone to speak for me and I am so thankful. Thank you so much for writing it. You have profoundly touched my life.
    Love
    Ashley

    PS- Good luck at becoming as fit as the old lady 🙂

  18. Thank you!

    Hi…
    My name is Ashley. I just saw Speak for the second time on the lifetime channel and was playing around on google and luckily stumbled upon your LJ. I have read the book countless times and… wow. I cannot even begin to articulate the ways in which your novel has touched my life. Your book spoke (and still speaks) for everything I cannot say. My short-lived life (I’m 16) has been similar to Melinda’s… except I have not found a peaceful close to my own story. Speak is the closest I can to explain how I feel without explaining myself. But that is nearly impossible- I can’t explain. I can’t muster the courage to talk. I get choked up and my mouth gets so dry and my vocal chords slide up and swell and tighten until they are practically in my mouth. When I can’t speak and need to let out everything that should be coming out of my mouth, I do one of two things. If I am not crawling out of my skin, I read Speak. If I am barely coping, I walk out of school (bad habit I have) and go to this park and swing. I love it. It is empty. The streets are empty. Everyone is in school or at work. It is just me and the swings and peace and quiet. It is like Melinda’s closet. Anyway (I am babbling on- sorry!) when I read Speak, I stopped feeling completely alone. I was shocked to find a girl who I could finally connect with. Speak represents what my body craves to say, and I am so thankful that there is one thing in this world that can communicate my thoughts and feelings. That bare… strangled sort of quality to the air is still here, but I have someone to speak for me and I am so thankful. Thank you so much for writing it. You have profoundly touched my life.
    Love
    Ashley

    PS- Good luck at becoming as fit as the old lady 🙂

  19. happy friday

    HI Laurie,
    Happy friday for me because I bought Speak. Just finished reading it front to back (could not put down). It is 4 am here, and I started it around 2am. And have to get up to take 7 yr old daughter to school soon. I found you on the web and just needed to say a huge THANK YOU.

    Your book is amazing. I felt I couldn’t breathe at certain points and I struggled to stay focussed on myself and not feel like I was Melinda. I am 34 years old and what I just read describes myself in my high school experience. IT took me 11 years to speak up, and I didn’t till winter break of grade 12. Needless to say I am finally trying to find my voice, my daughter awoke me and we are growing up together. I am determined to help others and found your book online. I only knew the title and that I needed to read it. Ordered it and bought it. No questions asked or thoughts. With total purpose in mind. I now know why.
    THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU.
    You are an excellent writer to have captured so much of what I have always wanted to say.
    I am just now trying to find my own voice and how to speak and I am making contacts. I just felt the need to tell you how your book has inspired me and made me feel like I am not alone. As fiction as it is, I am here to tell you it is not in my life and I am sure others.

    You have just made my morning. Even though it is with lack of sleep and tears it is a joyous day. I appreciate you.

    Please reply if you can. I am in Canada, hence the understanding of walking to school in the middle of winter. LOL

    I have never heard of this journal site and am glad to know it exists. Goodnight. 🙂

  20. happy friday

    HI Laurie,
    Happy friday for me because I bought Speak. Just finished reading it front to back (could not put down). It is 4 am here, and I started it around 2am. And have to get up to take 7 yr old daughter to school soon. I found you on the web and just needed to say a huge THANK YOU.

    Your book is amazing. I felt I couldn’t breathe at certain points and I struggled to stay focussed on myself and not feel like I was Melinda. I am 34 years old and what I just read describes myself in my high school experience. IT took me 11 years to speak up, and I didn’t till winter break of grade 12. Needless to say I am finally trying to find my voice, my daughter awoke me and we are growing up together. I am determined to help others and found your book online. I only knew the title and that I needed to read it. Ordered it and bought it. No questions asked or thoughts. With total purpose in mind. I now know why.
    THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU.
    You are an excellent writer to have captured so much of what I have always wanted to say.
    I am just now trying to find my own voice and how to speak and I am making contacts. I just felt the need to tell you how your book has inspired me and made me feel like I am not alone. As fiction as it is, I am here to tell you it is not in my life and I am sure others.

    You have just made my morning. Even though it is with lack of sleep and tears it is a joyous day. I appreciate you.

    Please reply if you can. I am in Canada, hence the understanding of walking to school in the middle of winter. LOL

    I have never heard of this journal site and am glad to know it exists. Goodnight. 🙂

  21. happy friday

    HI Laurie,
    Happy friday for me because I bought Speak. Just finished reading it front to back (could not put down). It is 4 am here, and I started it around 2am. And have to get up to take 7 yr old daughter to school soon. I found you on the web and just needed to say a huge THANK YOU.

    Your book is amazing. I felt I couldn’t breathe at certain points and I struggled to stay focussed on myself and not feel like I was Melinda. I am 34 years old and what I just read describes myself in my high school experience. IT took me 11 years to speak up, and I didn’t till winter break of grade 12. Needless to say I am finally trying to find my voice, my daughter awoke me and we are growing up together. I am determined to help others and found your book online. I only knew the title and that I needed to read it. Ordered it and bought it. No questions asked or thoughts. With total purpose in mind. I now know why.
    THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU.
    You are an excellent writer to have captured so much of what I have always wanted to say.
    I am just now trying to find my own voice and how to speak and I am making contacts. I just felt the need to tell you how your book has inspired me and made me feel like I am not alone. As fiction as it is, I am here to tell you it is not in my life and I am sure others.

    You have just made my morning. Even though it is with lack of sleep and tears it is a joyous day. I appreciate you.

    Please reply if you can. I am in Canada, hence the understanding of walking to school in the middle of winter. LOL

    I have never heard of this journal site and am glad to know it exists. Goodnight. 🙂

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